With the news breaking that Noah Centineo will play Atom Smasher in the upcoming Black Adam movie, many are wondering how the character will be adapted for the big screen. Despite having appeared on both The Flash and in the Justice League Unlimited animated series, Atom Smasher is a fairly obscure superhero.
Starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the titular anti-hero, Black Adam is proving to be an interesting gamble for Warner Bros. despite Johnson’s star-power, given the character’s status as a long-time enemy of Shazam. For decades, Black Adam was depicted as a corrupted champion who drew upon the same magic as Billy Batson. That changed with the 1999 JSA series, which presented Black Adam as a more honorable character, whose old-fashioned eye-for-an-eye style of justice did not sit well with more idealistic modern heroes.
Atom Smasher was one of several young heroes who flocked to the charismatic Black Adam’s banner in the comics, eventually joining him in an effort to liberate the Middle Eastern nation of Kahndaq, in defiance of the laws which limited superhuman involvement in international affairs. While the details of the story of Black Adam are being kept under lock and key, it is believed that it will be adapting this story line from the JSA comics. The confirmation of Atom Smasher being a major character in the film would seem to confirm that theory.
Atom Smasher’s Origins In The Comics
Albert “Al” Rothstein, the man who would become known as Atom Smasher, first appeared in All-Star Squadron #25 in September 1983. Originally fighting crime under the code name Nuklon, Rothstein was the grandson of the reluctant supervillain Cyclotron and the godson of Justice Society of America founder Al Pratt, AKA The Atom. Inheriting his grandfather’s superpowers and his godfather’s morality, Al sought to uphold the legacies of both men and became a founding member of Infinity Inc.; a superhero team which was made up of the children and proteges of the Justice Society of America. He also served in the Justice League for a time, with his best friend and former Infinity Inc. member Obsidian.
Later, Al joined a new incarnation of the Justice Society of America, abandoning his trademark mohawk haircut (which had been trendy when he first started fighting crime) in favor of a blue hood like the one once worn by his godfather. Al also adopted the name Atom Smasher, as another acknowledgement of his godfather’s heroic influence. While in the JSA, Al formed close friendships with two other members; Courtney Whitmore, AKA Stargirl (who harbored a crush on the slightly older Atom Smasher) and Black Adam, despite Atom Smasher being suspicious of the former villain and his efforts to seek redemption as a member of the JSA.
The initial animosity between Black Adam and Atom Smasher developed into friendship after Black Adam became one of the few to not condemn Atom Smasher for his actions while fighting the time-traveling villain Extant. With the aid of the New God Metron, Atom Smasher went back in time and left a weakened Extant behind to take the place of his mother, who had originally died in a terrorist attack initiated by the supervillain cult leader and terrorist Kobra. This sympathy, coupled with Atom Smasher’s own frustrations over the laws which limited superheroic involvement in certain situations, eventually drove Atom Smasher to leave the JSA along with Black Adam and form a new team, which included many of his former teammates from Infinity Inc.
Atom Smasher later had second-thoughts about the path of violence he had adopted and returned to the United States to stand trial for the war crimes he had committed. While imprisoned, he was recruited by Task Force X director Amanda Waller to assemble a new Suicide Squad for the express purpose of overthrowing Black Adam’s new regime, which had taken over Kahndaq after Atom Smasher left the country. He was later granted a pardon and rejoined the JSA as a full member. Atom Smasher was last seen in Doomsday Clock, among the other JSA members brought back into reality during the battle with Dr. Manhattan.
Atom Smasher’s Powers In The Comics
Atom Smasher has the power to alter his size and density, becoming stronger the larger he becomes. Typically, Atom Smasher maintains a standard height of 7 ft 6 in (2.3 m) but he can safely grow to heights of 60 ft. (18.3 m) or six stories tall. At his maximum size, Atom Smasher proved to be strong enough to knock Power Girl unconscious with a single stomp and could easily hold his own against most of the JSA by himself. Despite this, Atom Smasher does not have invulnerability to match his strength and he can be knocked out by a sufficiently strong blow; something Black Adam has managed on multiple occasions when the two friends came to blows.
Atom Smasher in Black Adam
Little is known about the role Atom Smasher will play in Black Adam beyond the fact that Noah Centineo has been cast in the part. In fact, it is unknown if the JSA will be appearing in the movie as Black Adam’s allies or his enemies. It seems likely that the film will be adapting the Black Reign storyline from the 1999 JSA series, but nothing about the basic story of the film has been confirmed at this time.
One interesting fact that represents a major departure from the comics is that the movie will apparently see Atom Smasher romantically linked to Cyclone; another legacy hero with wind control powers. For a while, it was rumored that Stargirl would have a major role to play in the Black Adam movie, but those plans may have been changed thanks to the success of the DC Universe Stargirl Series, which was recently picked up for a second season and is moving to The CW. Atom Smasher and Stargirl shared a brief flirtation in the comics, but the relationship ended with Atom Smasher asserting that he was too old for Courtney Whitmore, who was underage when they first met and seemed to barely be college age when he first began returning her feelings. It’s also possible the filmmakers may have decided to use the definitely college-age Cyclone to avoid recalling the more disturbing aspects of Stargirl and Atom Smasher‘s relationship in the comics.
